Earlier this week, we learned that ‘Doctor Who’ star David Tennant would be joining Marvel Studios and Netflix’s upcoming series ‘A.K.A. Jessica Jones’ as the villainous Purple Man, Zebediah Kilgrave. Now, it appears that the titular hero played by Krysten Ritter will have help from another hero (besides Mike Colter’s Luke Cage) to take him down.

According to Marvel.com, ‘Crisis’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ alum Rachael Taylor has been cast as Jessica’s best friend, Patricia “Trish” Walker. Though True Believers may not recognize the name of the character right away, you will once you heat that she is “a syndicated radio talk show host, former model, and child TV star known to her adoring fans as ‘Patsy’ Walker”. That’s right, it looks like the former Jewel will receive help on the most dangerous case of her career from the one and only Hellcat!

Making her first appearance in ‘Miss America Magazine’ #2 in 1944, Patsy Walker has been an Avenger, a Defender, and a Lady Liberator, but most recently she teamed up with Jennifer Walters in Charles Soule’s ‘She-Hulk’ as a private detective. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if Trish Walker takes a similar role with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Jessica Jones, it appears that Taylor’s version of the character will differ slightly from the Hellcat that we’ve come to know in the comics. We don’t even know if she’ll actually appear in costume yet. (Hopefully she’ll stay a red-head though.) Nevertheless, executive producer and Marvel’s Head of Television Jeph Loeb believes that the actress will be phenomenal:

“Rachael’s ability to embody a character that must balance both the darker and lighter elements of our series will provide a perfect emotional anchor for Jessica Jones. Rachael blew us away with her grounded, humanizing take on Trish, adding yet another layer to the complex, emotional story we’re telling with this series.”

With someone who isn’t as well known as Hellcat being poised to make an MCU appearance, one has to wonder if characters like Colleen Wing, Misty Knight, White Tiger, Shang-Chi, or other Heroes for Hire will pop up in at least one of these four shows as well. These characters have just as much of a connection to Cage, Jones, and the rest of the Marvel heroes being introduced in these Netflix shows. I mean, as cool as their version of the Defenders could be with four members, it would definitely be even better with Patsy Walker and some of the other supporting cast members on the team.

What do you think about Rachael Taylor being cast as Trish Walker in ‘A.K.A. Jessica Jones’? Are you excited about potentially seeing Hellcat join the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know in the comments below.

‘A.K.A. Jessica Jones’ starring Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Rachael Taylor, and David Tennant premieres on Netflix at some point in 2015.

Ben Silverio

Ben F. Silverio received a degree from Drexel University in the Screenwriting and Playwriting Program with a minor in Television Production. While at Drexel, Ben co-founded and co-hosted a film review show called The Pretentious Film Majors, which has evolved into a multi-format form of entertainment including blogs, podcasts on iTunes, articles in the school paper, and a potential tv show. Now armed with an extremely expensive piece of paper, Ben can begin climbing the treacherous ladder of the entertainment industry, which he hopes to do while streaming WWE wrestling matches, reading Marvel comics, and blogging about the excessive amount of movies and tv shows that he watches, all on the iPhone that is permanently attached to his hand.